Sunrise And Sunset
by AspireToGreatness
Summary: The Fourth Great Ninja War is over. Sasuke is back in Konoha but things just aren't the same. With a goal other than destroying Konoha in Sasuke's mind, things get interesting at he pursues his new dream.
1. Raven in the Night

**Sunrise and Sunset **

Sasuke sat in a tree above the main shopping area of Konoha. He sat with his head hung low, swinging a kunai around his finger.

Naruto, Ino and Sakura were walking through the shopping center.

"Why do I have to carry your bags? I'm the village hero not your personal mule." Naruto whined to Ino and Sakura who were walking on either side of him.

"This is great for your image. Sure you're the village hero but you're not better than any other villager." Ino wagged her finger in Naruto's face.

"If the villagers see you helping out, they will think highly of your character." Sakura smirked.

"So saving all of your lives wasn't enough?" Naruto mumbled.

"Listen here Naruto if you don't carry these bags-" Sakura growled shaking her fist at Naruto.

"Hey! Isn't that Sasuke?" Naruto asked as he looked behind Sakura.

Ino and Sakura turned at the same time.

"Why's he just sitting there?" Ino whispered in a small voice almost afraid to ask.

"He's been like that ever since he came back to Konoha." Sakura responded loud enough for Sasuke to hear. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and stabbed the kunai into the branch of the tree.

"Are you ok Sasuke?" Ino asked sweetly.

He frowned at them and disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Sakura turned away. "At least he's back in the village." She announced cutting through the air of tension Sasuke left behind and started walking.

"Come on Naruto, Ino. We're almost to my house!" She called behind her.

_Later that evening_

Ino watched the sunset from her back porch. When the sun had gone down completely, she walked down the stairs of the porch and into a secluded spot in her backyard. This spot was located through a path of overgrown rose bushes.

The bushes of red and yellow roses lead to a small clearing with a stream trickling through. Ino sat by the tiny stream and put her hands in. When Ino first discovered the secret area, both of her hands could fit in the small stream, but now only her fingers could fit in her stream.

Ino laid on her back looking up at the stars and put her toes in the cool water. She let down her golden hair and thought of Sasuke. She didn't think of anything specific about him, just pondered about him generally. It was odd having him back in the village after so many years. She couldn't figure out if he was filling a space he left behind, or occupying a space that disappeared a long time ago.

It seemed that not even Sakura was very pleased that he was back. In fact, no one seemed to be.

Ino heard a rustling in the bushes and jumped up. She put her hair back in a ponytail and pulled her kunai out of its pouch. She held the kunai ready in her right hand and her left ready to make chakra signs.

Ino stood up slowly ready to charge at the person advancing towards her.

An anbu mask appeared in front of her, and Ino charged towards the mysterious person.

The raven faced anbu grabbed her wrist tightly. Ino broke the hold and jumped back. She quickly begun weaving hand signs.

"Ino! Stop!" The anbu yelled.

Ino hesitated, and then continued to make the last hand sign. The anbu ripped off his mask and Ino's eyes widened.

"Why are you here?" Ino's arms fell to her sides and she froze.

"I don't know where I am."

"You're lying." Ino stepped back as the anbu stepped toward her.

The anbu looked down at the ground and frowned. He sat and washed his face in the stream.

"You can calm down I'm not going to do anything to you." He looked annoyed with her, and turned to some small flowers. He picked them, and handed them to her.

She took them slowly and sat next to him.

"I just needed someone to talk to, and I saw you here." He looked at her shyly, and then looked up at the stars.

"Why not talk to your teammates? After all this time that's what you need to do." Ino said sharply.

"What would I say?"

Ino sat with the anbu and they talked all night. When the sun rose the next morning, the anbu opened his eyes and looked at the beautiful blonde laying in his arms. She held tightly to the flowers he gave her the night before. He kissed her on the cheek, and stroke her hair which shone beautifully in the bright morning sun.

"Thank you." He whispered, and disappeared.


	2. Flower shop squabble

**Ch. 2**

Sasuke shakes hands with Naruto and Sakura and then walks away.

"So that's it huh?" Naruto questions as he turns to Sakura who is trying hard to hide her pain.

Naruto throws his hands behind his head and squints looking up towards the sky.

"All these years, and he finally apologizes. He even said thank you."

Sakura winces, and her eyebrows crease together in pain. Her lip quivers.

"Are you ok Sakura?" Naruto asks as he attempts to see Sakura's face. Sakura hangs her hand and covers the left side of her face with her hand.

"His thank-you's are meaningless." She whimpers.

Naruto embraces Sakura in his arms, and Sakura cries into his shoulder.

"It's hard for a guy like him Sakura. The only people he ever truly loved were taken away. He spent so many years alone and trying not to let anyone else in…his thank-you's aren't meaningless-they mean this is as much as I can show my love for you." Naruto says to Sakura slowly.

Sakura steps out of Naruto's embrace and looks at him with tear filled eyes for a long while.

She nods with understanding, and runs away.

"Where are you going?" Naruto calls after her but Sakura does not stop running, and does not turn to respond.

Sasuke sits on the roof of the Yamanaka flower shop and debates within himself whether or not he should enter. Ino, who is inside of the flower shop, senses Sasuke's chakra.

**20 minutes later**

Sasuke enters the Yamanaka flower shop with a casual look on his face.

"What took you so long?" Ino asks as she rubs the side of a small glass vase sitting on the counter opposite of the cash register.

Sasuke recognizes the flowers in the vase and clears his throat.

"What do you mean? Were you waiting for me?"

"I sensed your chakra a while ago. I was wondering how long it would take you to come in." Ino moves from behind the counter and walks right up to Sasuke.

She stretches her arm out, and he stiffens uncomfortably. Ino flips the 'OPEN' sign on the flower shop door to 'CLOSED'.

"Now then, how'd you're talk with Naruto and Sakura go?"

"I think it went well."

"Did they say anything?" Ino sits on a stool with her back straight.

"No, we just shook hands."

Ino motions for Sasuke to come over to her.

"That was very brave of you to do what you did. Saying I'm sorry is not always easy."

Sasuke gently pulls Ino's ponytail. "It was for me, I had some great motivation."

Ino blushes, and rests her hand on Sasuke's arm.

He leans down towards her, "I'm not a monster." He whispers when his onyx eyes are at the same level as her bright blues.

"No, you're just a cold hearted and lonely child." Ino responds with a hard gaze.

"I don't want to be alone anymore." Sasuke wraps his arm around her and pulls her towards his lips.

Sasuke and Ino kiss for just a moment. A soft and passionate kiss. Ino pulls back, and places her hands on Sasuke's chest.

Ino pushes Sasuke off of her and walks toward the flower shop door. "Then prove it." She says as she flips the sign back to 'OPEN'.

"How?" Sasuke looks at Ino with sad eyes.

"Go and figure it out." Ino opens the door for Sasuke to leave.


	3. Sasuke's First Move

**Ch. 3**

Sasuke sits in his room. It had been two whole days for him since his last anbu assignment and four days since his bicker with Ino. Since he had few acquaintances in the village, and nothing else to do, sitting in his room was the most he could think of doing.

As he sat, he had plenty of time to think and do some self reflection. Ino along with many other of his comrades had shut him out. He needed a way to get her to open up to him. He knew that Ino wasn't the type of girl to be easily won over with flowers or chocolate, or flashy gifts. That's when an idea came to him. Sasuke puts on a green long sleeve button down shirt, black slacks and black sneakers. He sprays on some cologne and smoothes back his hair. Then, he leaves out for the flower shop.

Sasuke walks casually through the village. He keeps his hands in his pockets and balled in tight fists as his palms became sweaty. As thoughts of how his plan could possibly fail floats through his head, he took deep breaths to calm himself down. Never before had he felt this nervous. He was so on edge that he was thinking to just call it quits and go home. His plan was farfetched and he wasn't even sure he was ready to go through with it.

He stops for a second to debate whether or not he should really do it, and he happens to be in front of an ice cream stand when he hears a familiar voice.

"Sasuke-kun?"

_Oh God, not right now. _Sasuke thought as he turns slowly to face Sakura.

"Why are you all dressed up?"

That's when Sasuke decided. He'd already come this far, he couldn't turn back now.

"I'm going to win the girl of my dreams." He replies to his comrade confidently with a small smirk.

Sakura's cheeks turn a bit red. Then her expression saddens.

"That's nice." She replies softly.

"Sakura. I know you've been in love with me forever, but you need to get over me. I don't love you and you should stop ignoring the guy that does."

Sakura feels the heat behind her cheeks rise. She opens her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Sasuke rests his hand on her shoulder and looks deep into her green eyes.

"We're not kids anymore Sakura. If you don't start acknowledging the guy who loves you, he will find someone else."

Sakura holds her head down.

"He already did." She whimpers.

"Well there you have it. Opportunities don't wait around. They come and go."

"I don't want to be alone anymore!"

"Then prove it." Sasuke says, and he walks away from her.

**At the Yamanaka Flower Shop**

"Sasuke?!" Ino's older brother Katsu asks surprised as the raven hair ninja enters the shop.

"What do you want? You know Ino's not here." Katsu nervously says as he sweeps the shop.

"I understand that Inoichi is deceased, please accept my deepest condolences for your lost." Sasuke stands by the door making sure to keep his distance between himself and the nervous Katsu. Katsu bit his lip and nodded in response. He begun to sweep the floor furiously to avoid getting emotional.

"I know most people in the village are still weary of me…including Ino. I want to prove that I've changed to Ino and I want to win her heart. So I've come here to ask your permission to take her out on a date."

Katsu gave the broom one hard push as he heard this, and the broom went flying. Katsu looked at Sasuke sheepishly, and Sasuke pretended not to see as he examined a bouquet of roses.

"Uh…that's fine I guess." Katsu responds after a while.

Sasuke winked coolly at Katsu.

"I'll be here to pick up Ino at eight but don't tell her I'm coming just tell her to dress nice for a fun evening out…and I'll be taking these." Sasuke picks up the bouquet of red roses.

They shook hands after Sasuke paid for the roses and Sasuke left the shop feeling quite accomplished. He walked out into the midsummer sun and feeling a warm breeze against his face he shouted,

"Yatta!" Unable to contain his excitement.

A few young kids walking past giggle and gave him a thumbs up. He grinned wildly and gave them two thumbs up back.


	4. Before the Date

**Ch. 4 **

"Sakura-chan what's wrong? Why do you look so sad? You sounded fine when we spoke on the phone just an hour ago!" Ino ran her hand through Sakura's hair, and rested her arm around Sakura's shoulder.

"I ran into Sasuke while I was waiting for you here." Sakura mumbled.

"Oh? Don't let him get to you Sakura-"

"But he's right!" Sakura cut off Ino and broke their embrace.

"I'm going to become a lonely old cat woman if I don't start acknowledging the people that care about me!"

"Naruto's with-"

"I know! I'm not talking about Naruto!"

"Then who?" Ino asked genuinely confused.

Sakura stood on tippy toes to whisper in her friends ear. Ino gasped slightly and looked at her friend.

"But do you?"

Sakura nodded and Ino smirked the way she always did when she got the opportunity to play matchmaker.

**The Yamanaka Flower Shop two hours later (7 p.m)**

"How was your day Ino?" Katsu asks his younger sister as she helps him close up the store for the day.

"It was pretty interesting I'm helping Sakura with something."

"I'm glad to see after all these years you two are finally getting along and to think that you were both brought together by the one thing that drove you apart."

"Sasuke…" Ino whispers.

"The future is so much more ironic than we imagine it to be in the past."

"How was your day then Katsu?" Ino counts the money from the cash register.

"My day? Uhh my day was uh um regular." Katsu responds as he nervously searches for something under the counter.

"I don't believe you and what are you looking for! You didn't drop anything!"

"Or did I?" He questions Ino with wide eyes.

"You didn't!"

"Yes I did." He says as he puts his hand in the space underneath the counter,

"I dropped….this!" He jumps up and tickles Ino furiously.

"Stop! Stop!" Ino cries out while laughing, "Stop! Dad!" She yells and Katsu quickly stops tickling her.

The shop becomes awkwardly silent. A sadness hangs in the air.

"Dad's gone Ino." Katsu clenches his fists.

"I know." Ino murmurs, "but he's always with us in spirit."

"That's true and now it's time for you to go get dressed and ready."

"Why?"

"You have a date!" Katsu smiles reassuringly to his sister.

"With who?"

"You'll see!"

"A regular day huh?" Ino shakes her head accusingly at her brother.

"The best parts of life are surprises little sister."


End file.
